Active 1987–2006 Branch U.S. Army | Country United States Part of XVIII Airborne Corps | |
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Garrison/HQ Simmons Army Airfield, Fort Bragg Nickname(s) Black Barons (Special Designation) | ||
The 18th Aviation Brigade ("Black Barons") is an inactive aviation brigade of the United States Army. Its initial formation in 1987 drew upon the resources of the 269th Aviation Battalion, originally formed in 1966.
The 269th Aviation Battalion served with the 12th Aviation Group in South Vietnam from 28 January 1967 to 15 April 1971, being located at Củ Chi Base Camp. It primarily supported the 25th Infantry Division.
On 17 August 1987, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 18th Aviation Brigade, was activated. On 1 September 1987, the 269th Aviation Battalion was reorganized and redesignated as the 18th Aviation Brigade (Corps)(Airborne). The brigade has since participated in Operation Prime Chance in the Persian Gulf, Operation Just Cause in Panama, and "Desert Shield and Storm" in Southwest Asia, and Hurricane Andrew Relief in Southern Florida.
On the first day of the Gulf War 24 February 1991, the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) began its attack with its AH-64s, AH-1s, 60 UH-60s and 40 CH-47s augmented by the XVIII Airborne Corps' 18th Aviation Brigade and began lifting the 1st Brigade into what became Forward Operating Base (FOB) Cobra, 93 miles (150 km) into Iraq and halfway to the Euphrates River. Over three hundred helicopter sorties ferried the troops and equipment into the objective area in the largest heliborne operation in military history.
The other operation the brigade administered in the Gulf was the activities of Task Force 118, the former Operation Prime Chance force. TF 118, or 4th Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, as it became on 15 January 1991, operated armed OH-58Ds off U.S. Navy warships.
An undated listing on Globalsecurity.org, seemingly for the early 2000s, said the brigade's units included two active, and eight National Guard battalions. The active units were:
The National Guard units were:
The 18th Aviation Brigade was also deployed to Iraq from October 2004 to October 2005. This was the last time the brigade was deployed as a unit. The unit supplied aviation assets all across Iraq, ranging from combat missions to service and support missions. As part of an Army-wide restructuring, the brigade was deactivated shortly after its return from Iraq in March 2006. Although designated as an airborne unit, parachute qualification was not a prerequisite for assignment to the brigade and many, if not most, in the brigade were not jump-qualified.